Smoking while drinking coffee: a harmful, synergistic effect on arterial stiffness

Abstract

Aortic stiffness is a prognosticator of cardiovascular risk and is involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension. We have shown that caffeine increases large artery stiffness. In contemporary lifestyle, the habitual consumption of caffeine is often associated with smoking; however, their combined effect on large artery stiffness has not been investigated. Caffeine led to a substantial increase in PWV (by 0.24 m/sec) and smoking increased further PWV (by 0.44 m/sec, left figure), an increase larger than that produced by smoking alone (by 0.34 m/sec, right figure). Pressures increased (systolic: by 16.8 with caffeine and by an additional 7.5 mmHg with smoking; diastolic: by 10.8 with caffeine and by an additional 5.1 mmHg with smoking). Smoking and caffeine have a synergistic adverse effect on arterial stiffness. This finding has important implications for pulsatile load of the heart and provides new insights into the combined effects of smoking and caffeine on the cardiovascular system.